"‘Talent Drain’ Warning As Black [British] Actors Head To The US"

By
Tambay A. Obenson
|
Shadow and ActJune 16, 2011 at 9:33AM

TV and theatre is suffering from a talent drain of black British actors, with many looking to the US for work because of the lack of opportunities in the UK, leading figures have warned. High-profile performers... have warned that home-grown stars are leaving the country due to its failure to fully embrace multicultural casting. They argue the UK does not offer enough lead roles to black performers or commission programmes reflecting the diversity of life in Britain today. By contrast, the US is considered more inclusive in its casting and as somewhere black actors can better progress their careers.

TV and theatre is suffering from a talent drain of black British actors, with many looking to the US for work because of the lack of opportunities in the UK, leading figures have warned. High-profile performers... have warned that home-grown stars are leaving the country due to its failure to fully embrace multicultural casting. They argue the UK does not offer enough lead roles to black performers or commission programmes reflecting the diversity of life in Britain today. By contrast, the US is considered more inclusive in its casting and as somewhere black actors can better progress their careers.

Nothing terribly new, but still an interesting read from UK magazine, The Stage, posted on their website earlier today. And you thought black actors here in the USA had it rough! I can only laugh to keep from crying when I read lines like the last one above, painting the American studio-dominated, short-sighted, lily-white system as more progressive in terms of its "color casting considerations."